I've been too occupied with student orientation (a.k.a. hell week) at the American University in Cairo to blog. Saturday was with filled to the brim with long lines for I.D. pictures, bus passes, and food. Although I was only able to wait in lines on Saturday, I started to get things done today, which was a major improvement.
The campus is gorgeous (!!!), but lacks any kind of substance. Built about two years ago and sitting in the middle of the desert, it needs more time for the student body to wear into it and give it character (mirroring my sentiments about the Lawrence University campus center). For now the AUC campus is just a hollow shell of buildings surrounded by the vast Sahara. Yet, as someone who craves aesthetics, I find it hard to hate it because it is extremely beautiful.
See my facebook link for more pictures http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=200711&id=639111198&saved#!/album.php?aid=200711&id=639111198
or take a virtual tour of campus at : http://datacenter.aucegypt.edu/smc/virtual_tour/
Other news: Emily (my roommate) and I have a potential Egyptian stalker . . . more news on that as it develops. Too bad I can't speak Arabic, otherwise I would tell him to shove it. People have told me that Egyptian men are pretty harmless (though they do say obscene things), and will not hurt us. Nevertheless, I will be cautious.
The food situation is getting better. I've figured out that it's super cheap to eat at restaurants. Until we can find frying pans, we're stuck with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, nutella, yogurt drinks, pomegranates, and McDonalds (sounds healthy, right?) at our apartment. The food on campus is terrible, ruling that out as an option.
The cats (some of you know the story) that hang out in front of my doorstep are M.I.A. Here are pictures of them . . . I hope they pop their little heads around sometime soon, otherwise I will worry.
My sleep schedule was off-kilter for the first week I was here, but now I'm not having any trouble with the time difference. This morning, though, I woke up to get water at around 3:45a.m. and around 4:00 a.m. was the first call to prayer! I couldn't believe it, because I had never heard it before ten in the morning. Unbelievable.
That's it for now, folks. School starts on Sunday (the Egyptian version of Monday). Until then, I'm going to sit back, relax, read, and watch movies. I bought Cormac McCarthy's The Road at the AUC bookstore today. The novel unravels as a poignant story about a father and son whose love for each other buoys them through their travels in the nuclear landscape of a dystopian future. I'm surprised how much I like it . . . perhaps I identify with the feeling of being in a wasteland, or trying to survive in unfamiliar surroundings. My other solace is Dexter: Season 3, which I will be finished with by the time you read this. I'm not sure why I like that show so much. Perhaps we can all identify with having a darker part of ourselves that controls us? Or maybe it's just fun to watch Dexter serving justice . . .
Anyhoo, that's it. Enjoy the pictures of AUC and the cats.
<3 to all of my friends and family,
Ari
My memory of orientation is having to absurdly get many different signatures. I would get to the end of something and find out that someone in another random building needed to sign at the bottom of some sheet. Whereas I would expect everything to be expedited and under one roof, it seemed calculated to take up time. But maybe it's gotten better?
ReplyDeleteLet your bawab know about the stalker (assuming he isn't the stalker). Don't be afraid to start a scene if you feel uncomfortable.. that can have very negative repercussions for person and will often scare off..
Honey, this is a great post! I agree with Martin Smith about telling your bawab. I thought of that myself, except for the bawab is never there! Marc and I ate dinner at a great place last night called Hummus Kitchen, a mix of Egyptian and Morracon food. I am feeling nostalgiac and wishing I could have stayed a couple more days. :-( I'm trying to get into the swing of things, but just ain't swinging yet!
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